THE MONSTERS AREN'T UNDER YOUR BED.
THEY'RE IN IT.

If you were to describe the most important asset your hotel has to offer - the bed - what features would you tout? Your quality linens and rich duvets? The grouping of sumptuous down pillows or the plush mattress? How about the dust mites that may live in that mattress? Or the sweat or skin cells that can accumulate in it?

But what if the mattress appears clean - isn't that sufficient for a guest? Only 25 percent of mattress stains are visible. Most mattress stains come from the human body in the form of skin cells, body secretions and excretions, sweat and bacteria. While the thought of sleeping in your own mattress "ick" is bad enough, many guests regard sleeping in other people's "ick" as an unfortunate but necessary part of a hotel stay.

WARM AND COZY: THE BUGS LOVE IT

Hotel beds can cause breathing difficulties that prevent guests from experiencing restful sleep. The combination of moisture and heat produced by a sleeping person makes a mattress the ideal breeding ground for dust mites and other allergens. The result? A cozy terrarium for bugs and fungal spores. One in five Americans is allergic to dust mites while a shocking one in three is allergic to dust mite feces. Often, consumers confuse dust mite allergy symptoms with sinusitis or other general allergies, but in reality, infested hotel beds can cause breathing difficulties that prevent guests from experiencing restful sleep.

Noted NYU microbiology professor and author of The Secret Life of Germs, Dr. Philip Tierno, has been a contributor to shows such as Prime-Time, Good Morning America, The Today Show and the Oprah Winfrey Show on topics related to household germs. Dr. Tierno points out that while many products exist to clean living areas and the bathroom, very few products effectively address the bedroom (the second germiest place in one's home following the kitchen). "There is no single place that challenges a person more immunologically than the mattress and pillow combination," says Dr. Tierno. "Given that people are in close proximity to their beds for many hours each night, proper mattress hygiene is an important component to healthy sleep."

CHECKLIST: CHANGE LINENS, REPLACE TOWELS,
LAUNDER MATTRESS

One way to kill germs and bacteria is through the use of hot water and bleach, and although hotels use these washing methods to provide their guests with clean sheets, they have not been able to offer guests clean mattresses...until now.

Innovative products such as Simmons' new HealthSmart® Bed, which features a zip-off mattress top that can be laundered, are making it possible for hotels to wash away stains, germs, bacteria, dust mites, odors and perspiration just like when they clean their sheets. The HealthSmart® Bed allows hotels to truly improve the sleeping experience of their guests--by making it clean in addition to comfortable.

Washing is possible because of the zip-off mattress top design and the materials used in its construction. The HealthSmart® Bed is made with layers of fabric, each serving a specific purpose in the creation of a cleaner sleep environment.

Coolmax® channeled fibers wick away sweat and moisture as you sleep and allow fabric to dry quickly in the laundry. Nano-Tex™ creates a semi-impervious layer that traps fluids and particles so they can be washed away.

A NEW SPIN ON FRESH CLEAN SHEETS

"Hotel guests sleep in beds that are unclean because they have no alternative," said Steve Tipton, Vice President of Simmons' Contract Sales, LLC. "We believe that people would prefer to sleep on a clean mattress, even if it costs them a little more per night. People are willing to pay for peace of mind."

Simmons Bedding Company surveyed frequent travelers who stay at mid to high end hotels to ask their opinions about hotel room beds. Most respondents had strong doubts about the cleanliness of their bed and comforter and shared their methods of ridding their sleep space of germs, including applying disinfectant spray to the top of their bed or traveling with blankets from home.

When told about new innovations such as the HealthSmart® Bed, one respondent who claims to never leave home without a sleeping bag said, "I wouldn't really care if a hotel actually washed my bed after the previous guest but there's something psychological about knowing that it could have been."

Alternatives such as impervious mattress covers exist, however they can be cumbersome to remove and replace and still need to be washed. "Most people are duped into believing that they should wash the sheet but they don't have to worry about an impervious cover or mattress pad," says Dr. Tierno. "I think Simmons' HealthSmart® Bed addresses the most significant issues regarding the collection of debris in that it is easily removed by unzipping, and then washing it. Nothing could be easier than that."

HAVE FUR. WILL TRAVEL.

One in three Americans sleeps with their pet. More hotels are encouraging guests to bring their furry companions along on their travels. Considering that one in three Americans sleeps with their pet, the amenities provided by these hotels are certainly appreciated by those with fur-kids. While dog beds are often part and parcel of a pet-friendly room, more often than not owners return to find their cuddly pooch nestled in a cocoon of sheets on the big bed. Pet hair and dander add to the debris that over time can settle into the core of a mattress.